A Fall-Inspired Jute Twine Wrapped DIY Lampshade

September 25, 2013 1 Comment

 

Fall has a tendency to bring us back to nature. The blankets come out and decor gets decidedly cozier. This jute twine wrapped drum lampshade brings some warmth to your lighting fixtures. It's simple enough to do with a DIY Lampshade Kit, but I'll admit a little time consuming. I recommend catching up on some good TV while wrapping!

 

You'll need:

• Styrene
• Lampshade Rings
• Lampshade Glue
• Binder Clips 
• Moulding Stick
• Jute Twine (I used 1 1/2 rolls)
• Brown Kraft Paper
• White Cotton Bias Binding or Quilting Tape (optional)

You can find all of your lampshade making supplies in our store!

 

Steps:

1. Cut out the kraft paper to the size of lampshade you need, leaving some overlap. (Visit our resource pages on Lampshade Sizing + Styrene to learn what size of lampshade you need). Applying a layer of kraft paper before the twine means you won't have white bits peeking through your final product. Peel back a small section of the adhesive styrene and apply to the paper. Use a continuous motion of peeling the backing with one hand and smoothing the styrene onto the paper with the other hand.

 

 

2. Trim the paper to leave a half inch overhanging on all sides except one of the short sides. Here is where you have 2 options: you can either secure your lampshade rings by gluing the overhanging kraft paper over them (like it is outlined in the kit instructions), or you can use the cotton bias binding or tape to secure it instead. I did the latter for this project. I suspect that the first method would have been much simpler, but the finish may not have been as neat.

 

3. Glue down the paper overhang on all sides. Wrap your paper & styrene rectangle into a cylinder and attach a bulldog clip on each end to hold it together. Rest one of the wire rings on the arms of the bulldog clip. Hold the ring in place using a couple more bulldog clips around the circumference of the ring.

 

 

4. Section by section, apply glue to the bias binding and use it to secure the ring to the shade. Hold each section in place with clips until it is tacky. The good thing about this lampshade glue is that it gets tacky fairly quickly and holds really well. Use the orange stick included in the kit to gently push the bias tape up and underneath the wire ring. Flip the shade over and do the same for the other ring.

 

5. Now the fun part - start applying the jute twine in a wrapping motion around the shade, using the lampshade glue to secure it. You don't have to completely cover the shade with glue, I found a few wiggly lines every half inch did a good job of securing the twine. Now is a good time to load up that Netflix queue!

 

 

 

 

Though I was fairly happy with the finish the bias tape gave the interior of my shade, I added a couple of rows of twine inside the ring to give it a more consistent look.

 

 

Voila - a natural, fall-inspired drum lampshade. It has a lovely warm, muted look when the light is turned on.

The concept of making a lampshade out of something other than fabric really stretches the ideas of what's possible - paper is an obvious choice, but I'm thinking now of other creative materials to cover a shade with. Check out our easy to use DIY lampshade supplies, and get creative with making your own custom lampshade. You can choose the height and diameter of your finished shade for a completely custom look that suits your lamp base perfectly.

 

 

 

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